Cat and Mouse
by Stega
Summary: I wanted to see what your reaction would be." - L devises a new test for Light to prove whether or not he is Kira. LxLight oneshot


**Title:** Cat and Mouse

**Rating:** T

**Warning:** First Death Note fic.

**Pairing:** LxLight

**_Stega_'s Notes:** My cat drooled on the keyboard and it turned into this. It's probably not the most accurate or in character Light but it serves the story so I will say nyah!

**Disclaimer:** This is a work of fiction by a fan. Death Note and all characters within are not my property.

---

"4:23," he said to himself, "I'm pretty early, but I'm sure he won't mind."

Light poked his head around the door before letting himself into the suite unannounced, then closed it with a soft click. He quietly slipped his shoes off, setting his bag down next to them, and walked further inside.

The hotel room felt strangely foreign and uninviting as Light entered it. All the curtains were drawn and lights off. Even though it was only nearing 4:30 in the afternoon and still perfect daylight outside, inside you couldn't tell the time unless you were looking at a clock. The warm, cozy yet formal, feeling the interior held on most days was lost because of the darkness; the old paintings and various antique furniture no longer existed unless you bumped into them by accident. All that could be seen was an open laptop sitting on a table and emitting a harsh, white light from the screen, which revealed an unmoving form in the chair in front of it.

Light walked over, white socks barely making a sound as they padded across the carpet, and placed a tentative hand on the back of L's neck.

"Ryuzaki," he called softly.

L was a crumpled heap on the chair and did not stir. He looked very tired, but then again he always did so Light didn't refrain from trying to wake him.

"Rise and shine," he said in normal volume. He pulled down the collar of L's loose sweater and ran a finger lightly up and down his exposed spine. With a sudden jerk, L came to and blinked his sleepy eyes in shock.

"Light?" he asked in a childlike tone. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm sorry for waking you," Light said honestly, then explained, "It's Friday, remember? You asked me to come over today so we could have more time to discuss the Kira case. Did you forget or something?"

"Um, no. No, I just lost track of time while researching some things." L slowly uncurled himself and sat up as straight as he could manage. He rubbed at the back of his neck where he felt a painful cramp beginning to develop and strange goosebumps on his skin.

"I see," Light replied smoothly, just as he noticed a scrap of paper tucked under L's bare foot. He could see that there was writing on it, some kind of notes scribbled hastily in red ink, but he couldn't risk making it obvious where his gaze was if he tried to read it. He quickly glanced toward the bright computer screen, knowing L would expect him to. There was a web page open and full of text, but it wasn't in any language that Light could recognize and that bothered him.

"I'm afraid I'll have to ask you not to look at that," L said politely, closing the laptop half way to hide whatever was on it, but still left enough of a glow to be able to see around him. "It involves another case that I've been working on."

"Of course. I understand." Light stepped back from the table and offered a hand out as L moved to stand up out of the chair. "Although, two minds are better than one, you know."

"Certainly."

L accepted the gesture without a thought, but something came over him as his hand was in Light's; he felt dizzy but it could have easily been attributed to standing up too fast. He let go as soon as he was up and shook his head a little.

"I must apologize for the state you've found me in," L threw over his shoulder as he walked into the tiny kitchen to the right, disappearing into the dark. "Can I offer you some water or something?"

"No, thanks. I'm fine."

Light's attention was on the scrap of paper again, which was now on the floor under the table. He thought about sliding it out with his foot but worried that L could be watching him from the kitchen. _That was probably his intention all along_, he thought.

"Are you sure you want to do this today?" he asked instead, trying to keep a conversation going. "We can reschedule."

"Don't be silly. I asked you here, did I not?" L said as he returned from the kitchen with a juice box-like carton and straw, which actually appeared to hold some sort of soy beverage rather than juice. He looked up at Light when he stood in front of him again and said, in a quiet but serious voice, "To be honest, I don't think I have the heart to ask you to leave."

"Oh."

L crossed the room and flicked on a light switch. He stood at the wall for a moment, first with both eyes closed, and then slowly opened each eye individually as they adjusted to the brightness. After a minute he turned back to his guest.

"Please take a seat," he offered quickly, and motioned toward the hotel loveseat to his left. With his thumb and index finger, he placed his drink carefully on a glass coaster on the coffee table, and took the chair across from the sofa.

Light nodded and joined him. He watched quietly as L pulled the packaged straw off the container and ripped the plastic open with his teeth.

"Can I offer you some water or something?" he repeated. He was aware of Light's scrutiny, but did not look up.

"Maybe later."

As soon as the straw was open L was up and heading back to the kitchen.

"I said I didn't want anything," Light explained, thinking that L had misheard him.

"I heard you," L said as he returned, just as quickly as he'd left, only now he was chewing on something. A sickly sweet smell reached Light's sensitive nose within seconds.

"Do you have the time on you?" he asked as he sat down, mouth still full, and brushed a stray hair from his cheek.

"4:46," Light promptly answered, looking at his watch. "I know I'm a bit early, but you sounded eager about this meeting when you asked, and... I guess I was, too. I hope it's alright."

L swallowed the treat and stood up again, as if he hadn't been paying attention to his guest. He walked back into the kitchen, then returned with another mouthful of something sweet and took his seat again. He picked up his drink from the coffee table with two fingers again and held it in his lap. He stared at it sleepily.

"Why don't you just bring them all with you?" Light observed.

"Because then I would have no motivation to get up from this chair," L explained and looked up from his hands with brightly lit eyes; he looked amused at something. "I live a fairly sedimentary lifestyle as it is, Light."

"Oh, I guess that makes sense."

Light leaned back on the sofa, to give the appearance of being relaxed, and watched L sip on the straw. He seemed to chew on it whenever he wasn't drinking from it, and when he finished and tongued the plastic tube out of his mouth it hardly resembled a straw anymore. He set the carton back onto the coaster and pulled his knees up to his chin to sit more comfortably. He wiped the condensation it had transferred to his hand onto his jeans, then started to chew on his thumb nail. He was careful not to damage or bite through it, merely pacifying himself.

"Ryuzaki... do you ever feel like you've been missing out? On life, I mean?"

Light only meant to think it in his head, but came out of his mouth instead as he watched L steadfastly.

"What compelled you to ask a question like that?" He eyed Light, with a perplexed look on his face. The glint of amusement returned to his tired, dark eyes.

Light quickly tried to explain, "Well, most people our ages are out living their lives, partying and enjoying their youth, and you--"

"Have you been thinking about your own mortality, Light?"

The question was so direct, he hadn't expected that from L.

"N-no, don't get me wrong," Light tried to hide his shock at being asked such a question. "I love school and working hard at my studies. Anything else wouldn't be me. I guess I'm just curious about you, that's all."

Light let out a small sigh of relief which went undetected.

"Is that so?" L spoke slowly. "I suppose it's to be expected, but I think I prefer to remain mysterious where I can."

"That hardly seems fair," Light said, annoyed. He submitted himself to scrutiny and interrogation by joining the task force and L couldn't even answer one question? Light felt angered inside. _This is just a game to him, isn't it? He is the cat and I am the mouse?_

"True, but I don't have anything to prove to _you_, now do I?"

Although there actually wasn't any, Light found the smugness in L's tone agitating.

"If my personal life were pertinent to this investigation I might be obligated to share such things with you, Light. However, we are not here to discuss me, so perhaps we can steer our conversation toward Kira now. What do you think?"

"Sure," he said with a slight waiver in his voice. _Try to stay as calm as possible_, he told himself. _There is nothing to get worked up about here._

"If I made you uncomfortable, I apologize." The sincerity Light's voice was capable of surprised him sometimes.

"Not at all," L mumbled as if he had forgotten already.

The two made small talk for a while, mostly theorizing about Kira's ability and how he came to possess it. L didn't seem up for probing Light's head as he usually did, and, in fact, let him control the flow and topic of the conversation. It was obvious that he was still very fatigued and probably hadn't gotten much sleep with the way he was laying before, crumpled on that chair. While part of Kira wanted to take advantage of the detective in his current state, maybe even allow him to fall asleep again so he could search the hotel room, a softer side of Light only felt sympathy for him. Besides, he couldn't risk getting caught. Who knew what kind of sleeper L was or if he'd pretend to be asleep just to try and catch Kira. _He would probably do anything..._

After an hour or so L unexpectedly interrupted the one-sided discussion by saying, "Light, I don't mean to impose or make you uncomfortable, but would it be alright with you if I came and sat beside you?"

L was hardly acting like himself anymore, it seemed. He worked so hard on anything he was involved with and lent all his effort to the Kira case; it was no wonder why he had those dark circles under his eyes.

Before Light could come up with a response, he was already settling into the loveseat and saying, "I've got this nasty cramp in my neck right now and I just need to rest my head for a minute."

"Wouldn't you prefer laying down in the bedroom then?"

"There isn't one. Or, should I say... the bed is not available righ..." L trailed off, unable to finish his sentence, and leaned his head on Light's shoulder. He deftly pulled at his legs to bring them up onto the sofa before he fell asleep completely.

Light just sat there, nervously wondering if L had any possible motives for moving onto the sofa with him besides what he said. He recounted every detail he could think of since he'd arrived at the hotel. Something in him wanted him to feel at ease when he was with L, but Kira wouldn't allow it. He had to be aware; one step ahead at all times. It was strange but Kira had to remind Light who L really was sometimes. _My pursuer, my enemy._

As Light's mind raced, L was dead in sleep next to him and, because of the position he was in, his head eventually slid off Light's shoulder and onto his lap, eliciting a surprised gasp from the younger boy. He was frozen in disbelief so the two stayed that way. While sleeping peacefully and undisturbed, L sometimes whimpered or let out a weak moan which made Light's heart skip a beat each time it happened.

After roughly 15 or 20 minutes, Light decided he could no longer put up with it and planned to leave. He gingerly slid his hand under L's head and between his lap and started to move him, but as he did so, a clear liquid spilled from L's lips and onto the front of Light's pants.

L woke up from the movement reluctantly and wrinkled his nose. His cheek and lips were wet and his head was in Light's lap. He hadn't drooled in his sleep in so long that he was almost worried for a second. Although he hadn't been asleep for even half of an hour, he felt almost refreshed, as if he'd slept for hours. He started to get up slowly, wiping at his face with his sleeve, then noticed the bemused look on his guest's face. Their noses touched as he sat up further and he caught just the glimpse of nervous sweat starting to form on Light's temple. That was when L got the idea for a new test, because he had gotten the impression that sometimes Light acted too calm, too perfect for it to be believable.

With remnants of drool still wet on L's chin and in his mouth, he leaned toward Light's face. He planted his lips squarely on Light's and stared at him with dead-looking eyes. His suspect's first reaction was what L expected; his eyes bulged in shock and he did not move. L pulled away by no more than an inch to quickly lick his lips, which he realized were dried with drool, and his tongue grazed Light's bottom lip by accident. Then he kissed him again, eyes still staring, wide open and analyzing. Light eventually closed his eyes but did not return the kiss.

When he did that, L's eyes regained that glint of amusement again and he pulled away from the kiss as if the test had been completed. When Light opened his eyes, they still held a look of confusion and disbelief.

"I wanted to see what your reaction would be," L explained casually. "You seem oddly calm despite my actions. It leads me to conclude that either you enjoyed kissing me or you are, indeed, Kira and you've been trying too hard to act natural."

Although they were not kissing anymore and he had no plans to repeat the test for verification purposes, L kept his face as close as possible to Light's in order to gather results.

"There is the possibility of a third option, if you think about it," Light observed, coolly. "It could be both."

L chewed on his thumb again and nodded.

"Yes, you're right. How foolish of me."

---


End file.
